HSHS St. Clare Memorial Hospital receives gold standard recognition from American Heart Association for rural heart attack care
July 08, 2026
OCONTO FALLS, Wis. — HSHS St. Clare Memorial Hospital has received the American Heart Association’s Get With The Guidelines®-Rural Coronary Artery Disease STEMI Gold award. This recognition is given for the hospital’s commitment to offering rapid, research-based care to people experiencing a specific type of heart attack known as an ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), the most severe and dangerous type of heart attack.
Heart disease and stroke are the No. 1 and No. 4 causes of death in the United States, respectively, according to the American Heart Association’s 2026 Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics Report. Studies show patients can experience better outcomes when care teams consistently follow evidence-based treatment guidelines.
“HSHS St. Clare Memorial Hospital is committed to delivering high-quality care by following the latest treatment guidelines to ensure timely, appropriate care for patients having heart attacks,” said Colleen Koski, Chief Administrative Officer, HSHS St. Clare Memorial Hospital. “Get With The Guidelines programs help our teams put proven science into practice every day, supporting better outcomes so more people in Oconto Falls and surrounding communities can live longer, healthier lives.”
Get With The Guidelines puts the expertise of the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association to work for hospitals nationwide, helping ensure patient care is aligned with the latest science-backed guidelines. As a participant in the Get With The Guidelines programs, HSHS St. Clare Memorial Hospital is qualified for the awards by demonstrating a sustained commitment to improving the quality of cardiovascular care.
“This award reflects HSHS St. Clare Memorial Hospital’s commitment to caring for people in their community who need cardiovascular care,” said Karen E. Joynt Maddox, M.D., MPH, chair of the American Heart Association Quality Oversight Committee. “By following the American Heart Association’s quality improvement protocols, they can help advance our shared vision of better patient outcomes, fewer readmissions and lower mortality rates— a win for patients, families and health care systems.”
For more information about HSHS, visit hshs.org.
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About Hospital Sisters Health System (HSHS)
HSHS St. Clare Memorial Hospital is part of Hospital Sisters Health System (HSHS), a Catholic health care ministry founded in 1875. Dedicated to our Mission to reveal and embody Christ’s healing love for all people through high-quality Franciscan health care, HSHS clinicians provide exceptional care centered on the whole person. Based in Springfield, Illinois, HSHS employs nearly 11,000 colleagues who provide care in 13 acute-care, children’s and critical-access hospitals and home health and hospice programs in Central and Southern Illinois and Eastern Wisconsin. HSHS is aligned with more than 1,000 primary and specialty physicians and advanced practitioners through its owned affiliates HSHS Medical Group and Prairie Cardiovascular and its partnership with Prevea Health. For more information about HSHS, visit hshs.org.
About Get With The Guidelines
Get With The Guidelines is the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s hospital-based quality improvement program that provides hospitals with the latest research-based guidelines. Developed with the goal of saving lives and hastening recovery, Get With The Guidelines has touched the lives of more than 18 million patients since 2001. For more information, visit heart.org.
Heart disease and stroke are the No. 1 and No. 4 causes of death in the United States, respectively, according to the American Heart Association’s 2026 Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics Report. Studies show patients can experience better outcomes when care teams consistently follow evidence-based treatment guidelines.
“HSHS St. Clare Memorial Hospital is committed to delivering high-quality care by following the latest treatment guidelines to ensure timely, appropriate care for patients having heart attacks,” said Colleen Koski, Chief Administrative Officer, HSHS St. Clare Memorial Hospital. “Get With The Guidelines programs help our teams put proven science into practice every day, supporting better outcomes so more people in Oconto Falls and surrounding communities can live longer, healthier lives.”
Get With The Guidelines puts the expertise of the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association to work for hospitals nationwide, helping ensure patient care is aligned with the latest science-backed guidelines. As a participant in the Get With The Guidelines programs, HSHS St. Clare Memorial Hospital is qualified for the awards by demonstrating a sustained commitment to improving the quality of cardiovascular care.
“This award reflects HSHS St. Clare Memorial Hospital’s commitment to caring for people in their community who need cardiovascular care,” said Karen E. Joynt Maddox, M.D., MPH, chair of the American Heart Association Quality Oversight Committee. “By following the American Heart Association’s quality improvement protocols, they can help advance our shared vision of better patient outcomes, fewer readmissions and lower mortality rates— a win for patients, families and health care systems.”
For more information about HSHS, visit hshs.org.
###
About Hospital Sisters Health System (HSHS)
HSHS St. Clare Memorial Hospital is part of Hospital Sisters Health System (HSHS), a Catholic health care ministry founded in 1875. Dedicated to our Mission to reveal and embody Christ’s healing love for all people through high-quality Franciscan health care, HSHS clinicians provide exceptional care centered on the whole person. Based in Springfield, Illinois, HSHS employs nearly 11,000 colleagues who provide care in 13 acute-care, children’s and critical-access hospitals and home health and hospice programs in Central and Southern Illinois and Eastern Wisconsin. HSHS is aligned with more than 1,000 primary and specialty physicians and advanced practitioners through its owned affiliates HSHS Medical Group and Prairie Cardiovascular and its partnership with Prevea Health. For more information about HSHS, visit hshs.org.
About Get With The Guidelines
Get With The Guidelines is the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s hospital-based quality improvement program that provides hospitals with the latest research-based guidelines. Developed with the goal of saving lives and hastening recovery, Get With The Guidelines has touched the lives of more than 18 million patients since 2001. For more information, visit heart.org.
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